Popular with youngsters, the video game lets seniors exercise their bodies and their minds without being frustrated by tiny instrumentation. Games offered include bowling, baseball, golf, tennis and boxing.

Wellness Center Director Sherice Barndt said along with cognitive and motor ability, the game restores competitive spirit.

This was the first time Long had tried a Wii, but he enjoyed it. He never dreamed he'd be playing a video game.

"Almost anybody with a little instruction can play the games," 81-year-old Long said.

"It's quite amazing, but it's a lot of fun," Long added. "I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm going to be before it's all over. I've got a good teacher. I started off with baseball. I didn't do too well with that. Then I switched to bowling. I had a little experience at that. Then she threw me a curve with tennis. I'm lousy at tennis."

Barndt said most of Manor Park's nearly 600 residents have bowled, played tennis or golf.

They can be as active as they want when playing. "We may have someone who is able to stand up and swing a tennis racquet, or you could have someone that sits in a chair" and flexes their wrist to whip the ball over the net, she said.

Some women residents are big Midland RockHounds fans so they enjoy playing baseball. They can press a button to throw a curve or slider.

"It's fun to see them (play)," Barndt said. "They get real competitive. They get mad when they mess up" and get a sense of accomplishment when they earn high scores.

"People around them start getting excited with them, so it's exciting for people aren't even playing. They have to use their brain to be strategic about things. It keeps them sharp," she said.

Along with the Wellness Center, plans are to put one Wii in the nursing home and two in the new clubhouse, set to open next week. "They're hard to get," Barndt said. "We lucked out when one of our ladies was at Wal-Mart and they announced they had 15. They barely let her out of the store with the three she bought."